KVF National Sports Organizing Secretary John Oronje reminded teams that the mid-window transfer period would close at midnight on Saturday.
The inaugural Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) Men’s Kenya Cup kicked off with intense action at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, this weekend, as teams vied for early supremacy in the group stages.
On Saturday, General Service Unit (GSU) defeated Equity Bank 3-1 (28-26, 25-23, 24-26, 25-22) in a thrilling pool “A” match. The match, which also doubled as a National League fixture, saw GSU showcase their dominance and climb to third place in the National League standings with 20 points, behind Kenya Prisons and Kenya Ports Authority. In another pool “A” match, Administration Police of Kenya (APK) triumphed over Kenya Army with a convincing 3-0 victory (25-22, 25-23, 25-23). APK made a strong start to the tournament, while Kenya Army struggled to find their footing.
Later in the day, GSU’s victory over Equity Bank continued their impressive start to the competition. Other teams in their pool, including Kenya Ports Authority, looked to adjust and find their form as the tournament progressed.
On Sunday, Trailblazers began their campaign on a strong note, defeating Kenya Airport Police Unit (KAPU) 3-1 (25-22, 25-23, 21-25, 25-13) in a pool “B” match. KAPU, despite promising play, fell to their second consecutive loss after losing to Kenya Defence Forces on Saturday.
In pool “A,” GSU maintained their dominance with another 3-0 win over Kenya Army (25-16, 25-16, 25-20), extending their unbeaten run to two matches and keeping them in the lead with six points. Meanwhile, Equity Bank bounced back from their Saturday defeat to GSU by securing a 3-1 win (25-17, 14-25, 14-25, 20-25) over APK. Despite their earlier setback, the bankers showed resilience and claimed a crucial victory to keep their hopes of advancing alive.
With the top four teams from each pool set to advance to the quarterfinals, the competition remains wide open. KVF National Sports Organizing Secretary John Oronje reminded teams that the mid-window transfer period would close at midnight on Saturday, adding extra intrigue to the tournament as teams finalize their rosters.
The tournament is set to continue with high-stakes matches, and the first edition of the KVF Men’s Kenya Cup promises to deliver thrilling volleyball and intense competition.